The Brown Hill father shared his road safety message with year 11 students from Phoenix P-12 on Tuesday, telling them what happened following two different accidents in the 1990s.

“Every single one of you took your lives in your hands coming in to school today,” Mr Maher said, making clear each type

of transportation has its own risks.

Mr Maher is well acquainted with horrors on the road.

His youngest daughter, Carmen, died in 1995 after falling asleep at the wheel.

And in 1992, Mr Maher was seriously injured when an 18-year-old woman in a four-wheel-drive rolled on top of his car, crushing him.

“I was trapped, the roof caved in past the windows of the car,” he said.

Mr Maher was left with a brain injury and serious leg and back problems.

The 18-year-old girl died, which also traumatised him.

Mr Maher made clear his “car crash is not just a crash” message by detailing what happened to him after the incident – his family was rocked by him being hurt, he lost his job, and he still has short-term memory and back problems 20 years on.